AMD Announces Plans to Build Licensed ARM-Compatible 64-bit SoCs

Amidst all the commotion from Google and Microsoft came the news that AMD is going to be building 64-bit, ARM-compatible system-on-a-chip (SoC). These SoCs are licensed 64-bit cores, which means AMD is taking the core and building it into an SoC. The first ARM-based AMD Opteron processors are expected to be produced in 2014, with integration into the AMD SeaMicro servers. AMD says it's the first (and only) "processor provider" bridging the gap between x86 and 64-bit ARM, which will "enable new levels of flexibility and drive optimal performance and power-efficiency for a range of enterprise workloads." While the ARM chips aren't expected to match current Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron ones in terms of performance, the power efficiency should make up for it in the long run.